Help with Krell KSA 50-S versus Krell KSA 200-S

Oops, sorry, you're right, I meant the "big brother" of the KSA 80. Same generation Krell. And FWIW, I thought the 80 sounded just a little better than the 200.

The mono version of the KSA 80 was the KMA 160. KSA stands for Krell Stereo Amp. KMA stands for Krell Mono Amp.

The "S" cersions were Krell's models after the KSA 150 and 250, which were heavily (but not fully, as I recall) Class A biased amps. I think they were the first Krell amps using their sustained plateau biasing feature, where the amp switched from AB to A depending on the signal strength being fed it. The KSA 200 was the mono version of the KSA 80, which was a full Class A design (the predecessor to the KSA 150 and 250) that ran really hot (as did my KSA 80).

I'm not a Krell expert, & not sure what the "S" version was? But there was a review in the Absolute Sound when the amp came out on the KSA 200--the reviewer loved it, mainly, but went on about the heat--even in Oct., it heated up his room so much it was a big issue.

Not that I'd let that stop me if I came across one at a good price. And Totem 1's & Mani 2's like lots of power......

thank you for taking the time to respond and advice appreciate this

As a general matter with amps, it has been my experience that the lower powered amplifiers in a manufacturer's line sound better to me, except in the case where you're driving a speaker that needs more power or current. Maybe it has to do with the signal passing through less amplifying devices? In the case of Krells I owned, my old KSA 50 MkII was the sweetest sounding one I owned, beating out the KSA 80 I owned and all the higher powered ones I listened to at the time at my dealer's. And having heard the Krell 50S and 200S, on the same speakers, I felt the 200S to be probably more neutral but clinical, pretty unremarkable really, while the 50S seemed to have a little sweeter character and seemed less fatiguing to listen to (keep in mind that I am now a tube guy, and it may well be that the 200 was a far more accurate amplifier, but I seem to like a little coloration from time to time). But neither my KSA 50 nor the 50S could drive the Duntech Sovereigns nearly as well as the big KMA or KRS200 monoblocs, as the less powerful amplifiers could not control the woofers nearly as well nor provide the dynamic headroom that the Sovereigns could deliver. So I think that the answer to your question of which amp to choose will hinge on the speakers you choose--if you like the sound of the KSA 50S, try to get a speaker that matches the characteristics of the Totems you owned.

I had a 50s and it was absolutely a great little amp. I sold it because I didn't need a ss stereo amp, but that was likely a mistake. IIRC, when I was shopping, the dealer (Sound by Singer) demoed the 50s vs one of the bigger Krells (may or not have been the 200s) and we both agreed that the 50 sounded significantly better.

Long time ago, so take it FWIW.

Good Luck

Marty